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Vladimir Ashkenazy, Conductor Laureate of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, was awarded the Grand Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, at Bessastaðir, the presidential residence, on April 19. 

Ashkenazy has made an invaluable contribution to Icelandic musical life, as a pianist, conductor, and organizer.

Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concert in November 2013 was a huge success and received enthusiastic praise from critics. Next August they will join forces again. The first two concerts sold out in only 12 minutes and a third date has been added on August 23rd.

Tickets will go on sale here on April 9th at 12:00 GMT.

The opera Brothers by composer Daníel Bjarnason was named composition of the year at the Icelandic Music Awards. 

Brothers will be premiered in Iceland at Harpa Concert Hall at the Reykjavík Arts Festival on June 9th 2018. The opera received rave reviews when it was first performed in the Concert Hall in Aarhus last year.

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The Edda oratorio by Jón Leifs will finally get its world premiere March 23rd – more than fifty years after completion. Edda II is conducted by Hermann Bäumer. The soloists are Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, Elmar Gilbertsson and Kristinn Sigmundsson joined by Schola Cantorum.

The concert will be broadcast on the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) on March 29th and will be available here for four weeks after the broadcast.

The Iceland Symphony has released a new CD with orchestral works by the Swedish composer Dag Wirén conducted by Rumon Gamba. The CD was recorded in June 2017 and released by the British record company Chandos last February.

The CD can be ordered online and is available for purchase in record stores in Reykjavík and in Harpa Concert Hall. 

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has named Anna Þorvaldsdóttir as its next Composer-in-Residence. She takes over the position from composer and conductor Daníel Bjarnason, who has held it for the past three years. Þorvaldsdóttir will play a multi-faceted role within the orchestra. She will write new works for the orchestra, and the orchestra will also perform some of her other works.

Iceland Symphony's latest CD, Recurrence, received great reviews last year and was selected one of the best albums of the year by Christian Blauvelt, Deputy Editor for BBC Culture, where he states "Iceland is in the middle of a classical renaissance".

For years, the Iceland Symphony's Viennese music concerts have been among its most popular. The programme features a captivating array of gems from Johann Strauss, beginning with the overture to Die Fledermaus and ending with The Blue Danube. 

Join us for a new year's celebration!

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Iceland Symphony's holiday celebration starts with the Advent concert December 7th, with music by Mozart and Bach. Four family concerts December 16th and 17th with choirs and ballet students from Reykjavík. The New Year is celebrated with Viennese Favorite which has been among the orchestra's most popular concert.